The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Nebraska is extending the deadline for producers to report their spring prevented plant crop acres.

FSA State Executive Director Nancy Johner today announced Nebraska producers now have until July 15 to report to FSA acres they intended to plant to crops this spring but could not because of the difficult weather conditions. This new deadline coincides with the July 15 FSA acreage certification deadline.

“In many areas of the state, flooding and persistent wet weather have made it challenging for producers to get into their fields for planting,” Johner said. “Producers need to report prevented plant acres to FSA to retain eligibility for FSA program benefits. This extension provides them some flexibility to meet that reporting requirement.”

Normally, the prevented plant reporting deadline is 15 calendar days after the final planting date for a crop as established by FSA and the federal Risk Management Agency (RMA). Johner said the prevented plant reporting deadline extension to July 15 applies to FSA programs only and does not change any crop insurance reporting deadline requirements.

This reporting extension also does not apply to crops that producers have covered through FSA’s Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). Producers should check with their county FSA office regarding prevented plant provisions for NAP-covered crops.

“This prevented plant reporting extension to July 15 will mainly apply to spring-planted crops such as corn, soybeans and grain sorghum,” Johner said.

Even though this deadline has been extended, producers are encouraged to communicate with their county FSA office as soon as possible regarding completion of both their spring crop acreage certification and their prevented plant acres reports. While walk-in traffic will be accommodated as much as possible, county FSA offices prefer scheduled appointments with producers to facilitate the flow of business through their doors and make the most efficient use of time for all parties. To find contact information for a county FSA office, go to  offices.usda.gov and click on your state and then your county in the maps provided.